Sidney h



(No Model.) l S. H. SHORT.

ELECTRIC ARG LAMP.

No. 310,736. Patented Jan. 13, 1885.

tes: I y

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SIDNEY II. SIIOE'I, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

ELECTRIC-ARC LAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.310,'736, dated January 13, 1885.

Application tiled January 31, 1884. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, t may concern.-

Be it known that I, SIDNEY H. SHORT, of

Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State of Colorado,haveinvented a new and useful Im provement in Electric Lamps 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to electric lamps designed to be placed upon a circuit in series. It refers more particularly to the feeding and adjusting mechanism for the electric-arc lam p7 and is intended to be an improvement upon the many forms now in use in the following respects.

'Ihe mechanism is so arranged that the ar mature and cores may be suspended in such a way as to balance each other, in order that the electric current employed in thelamp will have no other work to do than to lift the upper carbon and its holder.

A further improvement is a mechanism whereby the carbon points are allowed to move forward by brief and rapid advances through a certain adjustable distance, and then are stopped, the movement being made in such rapid succession that there is no appreciable change in the light.

Another improvement is the form of the cores which I use in the helices. Their arrangement is such that it allows the cores to travel some distance vertically, and all the time be in close proximity to the armature.

Another improvement in my lamp is the means by which it can be quickly and easily adjusted to give any required length of arc.

I have also improved the apparatus in respect to simplicity of structure and ease of manufacture.

The chief result of my improvements is the steadiness of the light, it being entirely free from both noise and fiickering.

The principle of construction and particular devices are fully described hereinafter in connection with the accompanying drawing, and are particularly specified in the claims.

In the drawing, the figure is a central longitudinal section through the case and one spool, parts being shown broken away and in side elevation.

In the drawing is shown a case, which may be mounted on the top of any suitable frame work adapted to support the lower-carbon holder. In this case are placed hollow coils of wire B and C, the first of large and the second oi' small wire. The wire from the source of electricity is connected with the coil B, and the other end of the coil-wire is connected with the upper-carbon holder A in any suitable manner to make goed electrical connection with it. The other wire from the source of electricity passes by means of suitable conductors to the lower-carbon holder. The fine wire in the coil C forms a shunt between the terminals of these wires around the are by means ot' connections u u, as represented in the drawing. In the lower ends of these hollow coils are fixed cores of soft iron,which extend up for a short distance. The iron cores D and E are cut obliquely across their length, as shown in the drawing. Movable cores D and E fit into the upper portions of these coils in such a way that they may have an easy movement vertically inside the coils. Their lower ends are also cut obliquely, in order that when pushed clear into the coils their diagonal faces will come in contact with the inclined faces of the lower fixed cores. This will allow extended movement of the free cores inside of the coils in a vertical direction withont their coming into contact with the lower cores, and still their faces be close together.

A conical core with a conical extension on the lower part of the magnet is, I am aware, not new, and my invention is limited to the two cores cnt with inclined and parallel faces, formed by cutting the ends obliquely-a practical and operative form for the object here had in view.

I desire it also to be understood that two helices may be used on each side,with two sets of cores and armatures connecting them above and below in a manner well known to the art; also, that these coils may be set in any position, either horizontally or inclined, as well as in that represented.

A lever, Z, pivoted on the point X on the bracket 3, has at either end short connectinglinks m and a, which are pivoted to it, and also to the yoke which connects the ends of the movable cores D and E. Movement into IOO the coils of D will carry with it the left-hand end of the lever Z', and lift up the right-hand end, carrying with it the movable core E.

It will be seen that at about half the distance between X and Nthere is attached on a movable pivot passing through a slotted hole the wedge I, which has its l'lat face moving vfreely upward along the uppercarbon holder A. It enters a passage eut foritin a ring-,@,which surrounds the carbon-holder A. ,Vhen it h: been pushed up far enough to completely till the space left tor it, and into which it tits, it clamps the ring O tightly against the carbonholder A, and any further movement downward of the core D causes the lever, wedge, and ring to lift the upper-carbon holder rr and separate the uppercz `rbon i'rom the lower, which establishes the arc.

Any other kind of a clutch or clamp may be used in connection with this lever to grasp the carbon-holder A and litt it, but I prefer to use the one I have just described, because it preserves the rod `from being cham'l'ered.

After the carbons have burned awhile the arc becomes long and the resistance is correspondingly increased. This will shunt more and more current through the coil C, which will causethe movable core E to act on thelever Z and make the left-hand end come up, lifting with it the catch-rod F, which is piv oted to its extreme end. A projection on this rodat S lifts the end ot' the lever G, which is attached to a second lever, II, which at its center surrounds the carbon-holder A, and causes the toe of the lever G to press tightly against the carbon-holder A, clamping it tirinly. The lefthand end ofthe lever II is piv oted on the trame-work ot' the ease I with a slotted hole, T. The right-hand end ot' this lever is allowed to move i'reely through an adj ustalole space determined by the adjusting screws Q and It. A light spring, U, keeps the end ot' the lever H against the end ot' a set-screw, Q, until the downward movement of E is suiticient to pull the wedge I? l'rom the ring O and release carbon-holder A. Then the entire weight ot the carbon-holder rests upon the lever H and the toe oi' the clamp (l. The spring U is not suiiciently strong to sustain this weight, so the lever II and carbonholder A drop quickly until the end ol" thelever H rests on the end of the set-screw l, when the are is shortened and its resistance reduced sufficiently to make the core D again descend in the coil B and replace the wedge Pin the ring, and the rod F being` lowered, the toe of G is released from the carbon-holder A and the spring U allowed to again lift thelever II to its original position.

The long arm ofthe lever G is ilattened into a spring, in order that after the toe of G has clamped the carbon-holder A considerable movement of E may be made downward to rclease I?. This operation will continue and feed the upper-carbon point down with movement so rapid that no flicker is discernible by the eye. It is easy to se that this arrangement also prevents the carbon points from approaching too near each other, thus obviating the tryin g sound so disagreeable in are-lighting at present. It can be also seen that by adjusting the position of Il by means otthe setsercws the arc can never become so lougas to produce the ilaring ot" tue light, which is another great objection to the are light.

The weights which are suspended trom 'the lever Z on either side ot' the pivoting-point X are made as nearly as possible equal, to each other, in order that the current will have very little work to do in moving the iron cores and the rest oi" the mechanism. A dash-pot may also be connected with this lever to make its movements slow and regular.

)i spring or weight may be attached to the rightihand end ol the lever Z, as shown at et, which will move that end ot' the lever down when no currentis passing through the lamp, ior a purpose explained hereinal'ter in connection with the mechanism whiea is attached to thelower end ol' the rod F. "his mechanism consists of a standard, J, on which is pivoted a short lever, l. To the lower end ot' thislever is attached an armature, Il, which is acted upon by the attraction or the iixed cores in the lower portions ofthe coils I3. This armature and lever are provided with suitable setscrews to regulate the amount ol their movement. This lever is providedl with a spring, l, so that when the current is not passing through the coils I3 the armature Il is pulled a short distance away from the fixed cores. The upper end ot' the lever Ii is connected with the lower end ofv the rod F by a link, t, which will push the rod F to the lei't as the upper end of the lever li moves to the left. This bar is pivoted to the lower end ot' F in such a manner that F may be pushed farther to the lel't by means ol' the slotted hole represented in the drawing.

A light spring, IV, passes from Ii to F, to keep the rod F as close to l as the short bar will allow. The object of this is as follows: Yi'hen no currentis passing through the lamp, the armature Il is released, the lever Ii moves to the lel't, pushing with it the lower end ot F, so that lthe end ot' the lever G drops from the projection S and becomes inactive. At the same time the spring ,t pulls the lever Z down, releasing the grasp otl I) on A, allowing the upper carbon to drop i'reely onto the lower one. When the current is starting, the vlirst thing which takes place is a movement of the armature Il to the ends ot' the cores D. This brings into position the rod F, and on theiirst downward movement 'of the core D the spring i/v allows F to move out sulliciently ior the projection t3 to pass over the end of (i, so that it may act as heretofore described.

I do not, therefore, limit myself to this particular arrangement, but claim the essential -features oi the inclined or tapering 'cores to give movement, without too great separation lOO IIC

of the parts,to the two alternate-acting clampingdevices, whereby the upper carbon is permitted to drop a limited distance,the balancecores,and the general plan of the subordinate details.

I claim as my inventionl. In combination with the coils of an electric-arc lamp, the xed and movable cores i'ormed with inclined faces, which faces are in planes parallel with each other, as set forth.

2. In an electric-arclamp, and in combination, coils of larger and smaller wire, as described, cores suspended from a lever, a clamp connected to said lever to raise the upper-carbon holder, and gripping mechanism, substantially as described, adapted to drop the said carbon when the are is unduly increased.

3. In combination,substantially as described, the coils of larger and smaller' wire, the suspended cores, the pivoted lever Z, carrying a clamp adapted to raise the upper carbon holder, the rod F, lever H, clamp-lever G, mechanism for turning rod F into and ont oi' connection with lever H, springs for the levers Z and H, and means for limiting the movement of lever H.

4. A lever pivoted in the manner represented, in combination with the movable cores, Wedge, ring, and rod F, substantiall y as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In combination with the carbonholder A, the lever Z, and suspended cores of the electro-magnets, one having smaller and the other larger Wires, as described, and with a spring, 4, the ring O and the Wedge l?, pivoted on the lever Z, and projecting upward against the carbon-holder, all substantially as described.

6. In combination with the rod F and the lever Z, the lever H, spring II, adjustingscrews, and the clamping-lever G, the lever K, and armature L, and the spring and lilik connection of the lever K, all substantially as described.

7. In combination with electro-magnets having coils of Wire of different size, a lever connected to the movable cores, and means thereon for separating the earbons,a grippinglever for lowering the upper carbon, a catchrod for operating the grip of the lowering-lever, and an armature, L, opposite the fixed core of the electro-magnet, having the larger wire,and connections between said magnet and the catch-bar, all substantially as described.

In testimony whereofI have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

SIDNEY H. SHORT.

'itiiesses:

M. F. SHORT, M. N. MEYRUE. 

